Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

Imagine a super-smart boss at a big movie studio called MGM! That was Irving G. Thalberg. He helped make movies really special and fancy. He was so important that the movie people decided to give an award in his name to other amazing movie makers. This award is like a gold star for people who make lots of fantastic films.

When the award first started, the trophy wasn't a shiny gold statue like the famous Oscars. Instead, it was a cool little statue of Irving G. Thalberg's head! It was like having a mini-me of the movie boss. Later on, they started giving the regular Oscar statue, but sometimes they still use the special head statue for very important people.

This special award began a super long time ago, in 1937! That's even before your grandparents were born. The very first time it was given out was at the Academy Awards show in 1938. Now, it's given out at a different party called the Governors Awards, which happens separately from the main Oscars show.

This award isn't for actors who are in front of the camera. It's for the super-talented people who work behind the scenes, called producers. They are the ones who help make the whole movie happen, from the beginning to the end. They have to make movies that are always really, really good to even be considered for this award.